FINALLY! INCLUSIVE ENDA BILL IS INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS

According to a press release issued today from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, a Trans-inclusive version of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) was introduced in congress today.

Representatives Barney Frank, Tammy Baldwin and Jared Polis introduced the bill that will extend the existing federal law prohibiting employment discrimination to protect people on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Introduction of this bill represents a change in strategy from a few months ago when Barney Frank and others announced that they would introduce legislation to extend the ENDA law to include only sexual orientation. Their thinking at that time was that this legislation would stand a much better chance of passing without "gender identity" being included.

Clearly, outrage and very heavy pressure from the gay and transgender communities, along with several polls showing wide-based support for this kind of protection, has changed their minds.

Equality Arizona is asking everyone here in Arizona to take action now by contacting their representatives and urging them to support this inclusive version of ENDA. You can find a quick and easy form to do this with by clicking the "take action now" link.

If you live outside of Arizona, click here to find out who your representative is. At this site, you can find out who represents you, what their Washington and local phone numbers are and how to send them an email.

We've waited too long for this to have it slip away because we didn't do enough. So, please contact your representative as soon as possible and let them know that we're watching what they do.

WHY DID BARNEY FRANK CALL JUSTICE SCALIA A HOMOPHOBE

During a video taped interview with 365gay.com (see full interview below), openly gay Representative Barney Frank referred to Justice Antonin Scalia as "that homophobe" in response to a question about the Defense Of Marriage Act (DOMA).

Frank was discussing gay marriage and his expectation that the high court would some day be called upon to decide whether the Constitution allows the federal government to deny recognition to same-sex marriages. He commented, "I wouldn't want it to go to the United States Supreme Court now because that homophobe Antonin Scalia has too many votes on this current court.

In his posting at The Hill's Congress Blog, Frank said:

"While responding to questions from journalists about my characterization of Justice Antonin Scalia as a homophobe, I realized that the fact that I made that comment in conjunction with a potential lawsuit about the Defense of Marriage Act created some confusion as to my basis for that characterization.

My view that Justice Scalia is prejudiced against gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people is based, not on his position on marriage, but entirely on the angry minority opinions he wrote in two Supreme Court cases in which the majority held that gay and lesbian people had certain rights against discrimination regarding private consensual sex and political activity. In those two virulent dissents, Justice Scalia denounced the court majorities not simply for finding that it was unconstitutional to discriminate based on sexual orientation in cases involving political rights and the right to private consensual sex, but he also made it clear that in his view sex discrimination is not only permitted by the Constitution but is very much in society’s interest because homosexuality deserves to be treated with not only disapproval, but legal disability.

This comes out most clearly in his very vigorous abjection to the court’s decision to block a criminal prosecution against two men who had consensual sex in the privacy of their bedroom. And it is made very vivid in the passage in which he affirms society’s right to treat homosexuals unequally by citing other categories which deserves such treatment — beginning with murder."

The actual written, astoundingly homophobic, comments made by Scalia in those cases is, to say the least, very disturbing. You can read the full text of Scalia's opinions at the Congress Blog. They're at the end of Barney's comments.

If this man (and I use that term very loosely) doesn't recuse himself from future cases involving any GLBT issue, there is something fundamentally wrong with our Supreme Court Structure.

Below is Barney Frank's full interview with 365gay.com.

NATIONAL EQUALITY RALLY SET FOR MAY 3RD IN PHILADELPHIA

The pioneering GLBT magazine The Advocate reported today that the organizers of the upcoming National Equality Rally lauched a video on YouTube yesterday to promote the event.

The video is absolutely awesome. It's set to the music of Five for Fighting’s "What Kind of World Do You Want?" and begins with the image of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech then segues into images of gay rights rallies and marches from the first Philadelphia demonstrations in 1965 all the way through to today's fight for marriage equality. It really is an awesome video presentation and the music is just plain dynamite. Check it out...

The Rally is scheduled for May 3rd at Independence Hall in Philadelphia. I just wish may partner and I could afford to go because it looks like its going to be one of those incredibly memorable moments that you'll take with you for the rest of your life. What better setting could there be? The site our movement's first public demonstration and the birthplace of a country that dedicated itself to equality for all of its citizens.

According to National Equality Rally's website, the rally would serve as a call on Congress and our new president for:

• Passage of trans-inclusive hate crimes legislation

• Passage of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA)

• Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)

• Support for GLBT health issues

• Equal benefits for same-sex families

• Same-sex marriage Equality

If you do plan to attend, I would strongly suggest that you call one of the downtown hotels as soon as you finish reading this. I have a feeling that they're going to get booked up pretty quick.